Leisa Jones - Putting self-care first & going beyond beliefs

“If you believe, you can achieve”

Leisa Jones, a graphic designer and a single mom for almost 18 years, is one of those super women who gets amazing results in everything she puts her mind to it. She runs a small business in her spare time while managing the New Farm Post Office in Brisbane, ranked number one in the state and is now also a number one Australian Women’s Natural Body Sculpting Bikini Champion for 40 and over.

Taking care of her health is a newfound passion for Leisa Jones and started from a realisation that nothing was going to change unless she will make the change. A woman who hated the gym, had bad eating habits and no zest for life shares with us how she managed to take back the control and transform her whole life.

Doing a body sculpting competition isn’t something most of us just wake up and decide “I want to do that”. I don’t imagine it was easy.  What was the hardest thing you had to overcome to stick with it?

Myself. I’m not one to stick to things and if I feel like things are getting too hard, I give up.  It was a real test of my own strength mentally, physically and emotionally. Some days I didn’t wanna get out of bed. I thought  “I can’t do this. It’s too hard”.

‘Those were the days I pushed myself and I had to remind myself about what it was that I wanted to achieve.  I literally told myself “you made the decision to do this, now it’s up to you to hold yourself accountable for the results you want”.

If I wasn’t achieving the results,  then I had no one to blame but myself. I had no gym buddy, and no one in my house to push me. I had to be my own best friend and encourage myself daily.

Competing in a body sculpting competition was not something that I ever thought I would do, it is a hard and sometimes lonely journey. I had to remind myself every day it was important to follow the program Dan set for me to achieve the results to step on the stage, and that I could actually do this. That was one of the hardest things I’ve faced.

What was your goal?

My goal was just to become a better me,  to watch what I eat, to look after my body, to have more energy, and to simply feel good.

I started following Dan Jones (an online personal trainer) on Instagram.  I was watching his posts, watching the transformation of people, scrolling through his pages and it triggered something within me that “maybe I need to do that (have a goal)”.

I reached out to Dan and talked with him about what I wanted to achieve and it went from there. I started on the 17th of June with just a meal plan and some body weight exercises from home. .

I didn’t see any changes until around the third week of the nutrition plan.  I didn’t want to go to the gym. I hated the gym, but after seven weeks of changing my diet and a small amount of exercise, the transformation so huge that I was inspired “If I can get that transformation from food and a small amount of exercise, I wonder what could happen if I did go to the gym”.

After seven weeks I decided I wanted to compete in a body sculpting competition. I told Dan and he said “you need to make a decision this weekend”.

I freaked out, changed my mind and Dan said “there’s another one next year”.  I didn’t like the idea of waiting another 11 months, so with only six weeks to compete,  I made the decision “I’m going to hit this hard and I’m going to do it for myself”

The physical results are obvious. You look amazing! What difference did going through this transformation make?

It has made a tremendous change in my life not only do I feel empowered that I have encouraged myself to do something I never imagined possible, but I stepped outside of my comfort zone and I’ve been inspiring others – men and women – to go on a similar journey.

It’s not that they need to compete. It’s the simple changes in our lives to start exercising and eat better, to look after ourselves and to recognise the importance of putting ourselves first.  

I’ve changed dramatically mentally, physically and emotionally.  I’ve found an ability to love myself, to push the boundaries and find strength in making it through some really hard days when I thought I wanted to give up.

It’s made me realize what path I want to take in my life, and that’s to help others improve themselves so they feel amazing on a physical, mental and emotional level.

It sounds like you have lots of valuable lessons you could share. Is there one piece of advice you would give to others who may be struggling with putting themselves first?

Never ever compare yourself to somebody else. We are all individuals, we are all fighting our own battles. We are all at different stages in our lives and on different paths. You’re running your own race so don’t worry about what anybody else is doing in the other lane, keep your eyes forward and enjoy the journey.

About Leisa

Leisa Jones is a graphic designer with over 26 years experience.  She has a small business she runs in her spare time while managing a full-time job as the manager of the New Farm Post Office in Brisbane Queensland.

She’s  been with the company for over 12 1/2 years and her outlet is ranked number first in the state, which is an incredible achievement given 120 outlets.  Connect with Leisa on Instagram.